Chillisauce bring Afghanistan International Rugby Team to UK

The Afghanistan international rugby team, the newest international rugby team in the world is set to come to the UK thanks to Chillisauce. Yep, that’s right we’ve written, documented and celebrated a life less ordinary but it was time to do something that really counted…on the world stage.

The Afghanistan International Rugby team was only recognised by the Asia Rugby Federation in November last year and despite the story being framed in a warzone in the depths of winter, the Afghan men have grabbed the chance to immerse themselves in the sport. They’ve played games against some very handy forces sides and have even been on tour to Pakistan to take part in a tournament where they managed to beat some well established teams but at the moment they’re practising in freezing conditions honing the skills they need to take them to the next level.

Chillisauce knew that the only way to applaud such commitment and spirit was to bring them to the home of Rugby Union and welcome the team into the international rugby fraternity. At the moment we’re going through the official Government channels to organise visas and logistics for a team to play in the Bournemouth Sevens tournament that begins on June 1st. This will be a pleasant change for most of the team who at the moment are still playing with snow on the ground and not so long ago competed in a match when it was -17 degrees.

The Beginning for Afghanistan

Rugby was only introduced into the country by a guy called Aasad Ziar in 2010 and the locals loved it from the off, with many leaving other sports clubs to come and join in a game they’d never heard of before. Rugby perfectly suits their physical and robust nature and has pretty similar DNA to the national sport of Buzkashi, except that involves a dead goat. Asad has been travelling the country spreading the word and opening up rugby clubs wherever he can, teaching everyone from boys to men the basic skills they need. The International side is extremely determined and according to Asad has several characters who would push for an All Black’s place.

There are two sides to every story and by doing this Chillisauce is aiming to support a bunch of young guys who are choosing sport against a backdrop of violence, conflict and suffering. We’re not making judgements about the war, or about individuals, it’s about sport, doing something positive and having fun. And let’s be honest they look pretty tough and don’t drink so with those two key attributes, they’re going to be in with a shout.

This is a huge undertaking for Chillisauce and the players but we're not daunted we're just very committed to making it work. If you'd like to know more about our adventure or feel you might like to become involved in some way then just drop me a line adrian@chillisauce.co.uk